July 29, 2010

Ramon Castro credits Greg Walker for his 2010 improvement

Backup catcher Ramon Castro credits hitting coach Greg Walker with his resurgent season, one that could see him stealing starts from slumping A.J. Pierzynski if the incumbent doesn’t turn his season around soon.

Castro is stroking at an .870 OPS clip [1.021 after 2 HRs today], which dwarfs his career .729. His OPS+ is 129 despite a below-average career figure of 90. He’s boasting a 0.7 WAR, impressive for a player seeing such modest action, and his seven walks/12 Ks is a ratio Castro hasn’t produced since his rookie year in 1999.

“It’s just hard work,” Castro said of his resurgent season at age 34. “’Walk’ helped me with keeping my head still, keeping my hands a little more open.”

Count Castro as yet another White Sox player who applauds Walker for developing batting strategies around a player’s strength vs. forcing a roster to adapt to his beliefs.